LANSING TWP. – There's a postcript to the story of Schuler Books & Music, which closed its Eastwood Towne Center doors Feb. 3.

The widely loved bookstore donated an estimated 6,000 used books to Friends of the East Lansing Public Library. The group sells used books and other items to support programs at the library, to the tune of $45,000 in gifts this year.

A room at the front of the library is designated as “Marsha’s Friendshop” — named for longtime shop volunteer Marsha Bristor — where the public can buy used books.

Maureen McCabe-Power, president of the Friends, said volunteers were “surprised and thrilled” to get the Schuler’s donation. It’s the largest single donation she recalls in her five years with the group.

She’s a former librarian turned human resources/labor relations consultant. She counts herself among those mourning the loss the of the bookstore at Eastwood.

The store’s cafe was a go-to spot for her and her husband, Don Power, and she often had coffee there with potential volunteers for the library support group.

“People felt welcomed, and I think the staff was outstanding,” McCabe-Power said. “They were so helpful and so informed.They were book people. I was never disappointed.”

Though the group has storage space at the city’s Hannah Center, the donation was so big, a volunteer had to offer her garage to stuff in 29 cases of books, marked by subject.

Schuler’s announced in January the store would close, citing difficulty with the store’s lease.

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Larry Olsen of DeWitt shops for books Feb. 21, 2018 at "Marsha's Friendshop," the used book sales effort that funds programs at the East Lansing Public Library.(Photo: Judy Putnam/Lansing State Journal)

Rhoda Wolff, general manager of the Eastwood store, said the used book donations include cookbooks, art books, fiction, children’s books and others. (Full disclosure: Wolff is a neighbor, friend and, lucky for me, in my book club.)

“It was like a microcosm of the store,” Wolff said. Some books were transferred to the other stores. Grand Rapids-based Schuler’s has stores in Grand Rapids and the Meridian Mall in Okemos. It also owns Nicola’s Books in Ann Arbor.

Schuler Books & Music in Eastwood Towne Center, which closed in early February 2018, donated 6,000 used books to the Friends of the East Lansing Public Library.(Photo: File photo)

Wolff said the nonprofit group was a natural fit to receive the donation as many of the volunteers were customers.

“They’ve really been supportive of our store, all the people involved in that group,” Wolff said. “I’m just glad they could use them.”

Wolff said that though the store closed a few weeks ago, staff is still working, packing up store fixtures.

She said she and the other employees have been touched and overwhelmed by the huge outpouring of grief and support from their customers. “It’s very raw ... we’re all still very torn up,” she said.

Charity McMaster, an assistant to Bill and Cecile Fehsenfel, the store’s owners, said the company has been absorbed by the work of closing the store. Whether it could move to another location is a question for another time, she said.

“We’re still focused on getting out by the end of the lease deadline” at the end of the month, she said.

She also said it was too soon to say how many employees are losing their jobs. Some will find spots at Schuler’s other retail outlets.

“We just don’t know yet. We’re still in transition,” she said.

Wolff described it as a breakup of a tight group of workers and customers. It’s a story with a sad ending.

“It was a family, and it was a huge part of the community,” she said.

Judy Putnam is a columnist with the Lansing State Journal. Contact her at (517) 267-1304 or at jputnam@lsj.com. Follow her on twitter @judyputnam.